My local church now has a basket of rainbow ribbons in the gathering space next to the name tags. I am not sure who came up with the idea of making these Love Ribbons available, but I like it. By wearing these Love Ribbons, we are communicating to others that we love them and cherish EVERY child of God, and it sends a specific message of inclusion to the LGBTQIA+ community. (I was thrilled to read the Facebook post of a young adult who grew up in our church who felt a sense of welcome when coming “home” to visit, seeing the visible rainbows that helped towards healing their heart.) You may even see me wearing a rainbow stole sometimes, as a more prominent display of my desire to show that I love and value ALL of God’s children and I know that God does too.
I wear a rainbow to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
I wear a rainbow to reject the Traditional Plan and to show my desire for us to work to eliminate the discriminatory language in the Book of Discipline.
I wear a rainbow to show my LGBTQIA+ friends that I believe that they are of sacred worth and I recognize their God-given gifts and believe that they should be fully included in the life of the church.
I wear a rainbow to show my LGBTQIA+ friends and their parents, siblings, children and friends that I am here for them if they need someone safe to talk to.
I wear a rainbow hoping that as we work towards inclusion for these children of God that it will also move us forward in including people of color, women and all of God’s people who are still marginalized in some settings.
This is not a personal rejection of individuals who disagree with me or who are still on a journey towards discovering what they believe about all of this. In fact, if you are one of those people, consider this an invitation for a conversation. I can simply listen to where you are coming from or share my journey of discernment over this, whatever is most helpful for you. I realize that it is possible that I am wrong, and if so I will get straightened out at the pearly gates. In the meantime, I will err on the side of grace and love.
If you agree with what I’ve shared with you, I invite you to join me in wearing a sign of inclusion. You might just save someone’s life who could benefit from a visible sign that shows how much they are valued and loved by you, others in the Christian community and God.
Shalom y’all,
To print or share this message, you are encouraged to use this pdf:
Claire – Why I Wear a Rainbow
To read past editions – you are encouraged to follow this link:
https://capitaldistrictnc.org/claire-ificaton/
